Firefox stuck on Ask

For some reason my Firefox now uses Ask as default search engine. I prefer Google. However, deleting Ask and making Google default in Firefox is only a temporary fix; when I restart Firefox, Ask is back as default engine. When I delete Ask in Firefox settings, it still comes back. When I upgraded to FF10, Ask shows up as default. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Have you checked to see if the Ask toolbar might have been installed. You can use an uninstaller to remove this toolbar if it is there. I would also try to see if there is an Ask extension (or whatever it's called in FF) and delete that.

Additionally, in Firefox type in about:config in the address bar, promise to be careful and in the filter at the top the following page, type in search - that should give you a way of setting the default and current search engine and removing any that point to Ask. But do be careful.

Thanks for suggestions. However, none worked.
1. There is no Ask toolbar, extension, or other add-on that I could find. 2. There is no Ask program that Control Panel could find. 3. Resetting with about:config does not help.
I vaguely remember some kind of Ask install piggybacking on another install (I hate that). My guess is that I have some kind of stealth install here, like a virus.

Fix found

Upon further searching of Firefox help, found what appears to be the solution:
Use about:config
Reset three items: keyword.URL, browser.search.defaultenginename, browser.search.selectedEngine
Then close the about:config tab and Restart Firefox.